Decisions
by shishen
Summary: Slight AU, oneshot. The wheels of fate had been moved, and now there only remains for the participants to play their role. Decisions cause forks in the road for Tsuna and Hibari when it comes to their actions towards the ones they care for. 1827, D18


Summary: Slight AU. The wheels of fate had been moved, and now there only remains for the participants to play their role. Decisions cause forks in the road for Tsuna and Hibari when it comes to their actions towards the ones they care for deeply. Oneshot.

Pairings: D18, One-sided 1827.

Warnings: Includes Yaoi, AU(ness?), spelling mistakes, and OCC-ness. Read at your own risk!

Disclaimer: The following story is made up by a D18 fangirl with inspiration from a fanmade doujin by LION PUNCH. All rights belong to Amano-sensei and said copyright holders.

Decisions

_You never know if you're right._

_You never know if you're wrong._

_You know only after the consequences._

- x -

Sawada Tsunayoshi sat behind his desk, slumped back in a form that signalled defeat and weariness. There was to be an important decision to make, and as usual, he was struggling with it. Ever since Reborn had died, he had lost at least half of his confidence to be the boss of the Vongola familiga. He was managing only because of the simple _need_, the simple fact that he had to make these sorts of choices. But to tell the truth, he had already made his decision a long time ago, probably right after he had been told by Irie Shoichi about the situation and the nearly-impossible solution they came up with. It was dealing with that solution that was difficult, actually.

One would think that a mafia boss would have gotten married by the age of twenty-four; most did so around twenty to strengthen alliances and to increase their power. Tsuna was not one of them. There was too much at hand to deal with; the Millefore was the biggest problem. But inside, Tsuna knew that there was truly only one reason why he hadn't said his vows yet. It was a stubborn and stupid reason to many; and a smile crept up Tsuna's lips as he imagined how Gokudera, his right-hand man, would react if he heard why.

Tsuna's desk was one filled with paperwork and reports, so it did not have much room for other things because of that. Still, there had been enough space to allow two picture frames to be put on the large mahogany desk. The smaller one included a simple picture of Haru and Kyoko posing with his mother, safely looked after in Japan. Hopefully, that wouldn't change, but nowadays, anything was possible. The other, larger frame, included a picture of his guardians and a single, small snapshot stuck in the frame that made it look like it didn't belong at all. The larger picture was taken at one of the rare outings Tsuna had with his closest guardians: Gokudera, Yamamoto, the still-growing Lambo, Ryohei, and a frail-looking Chrome smiling weakly in the background. The cloud guardian was ominiously missing from the picture. The snapshot was a picture of said guardian, however, his gaze on something else- certainly not the camera, at any rate.

It was this snapshot that was currently holding Tsuna's attention. Biting his bottom lip, he took out his phone and flipped it open with a practiced ease and scrolled down his list of contacts. The name stared at him blankly, and Tsuna sighed before pressing the "Call" option. It took only two rings for the cloud guardian to answer at the other end. As usual, he didn't say anything, though Tsuna knew that the man on the other end had no doubt who was calling.

"Hibari-san?"

It took a few seconds for him to answer. "You have something to talk about?"

Hibari's tone wasn't forceful, but it still made Tsuna pause before speaking. Over the years, Tsuna had gained the older man's trust and respect; however, Tsuna secretly aknowledged that trust and respect wasn't what he was looking for from Hibari. But he wasn't going to dwell on that. Tsuna rarely gave himself the chance to think about such things anymore.

"Yes... but I want to talk to you in person about it. I'd like you to stop by my place," Tsuna requested quietly, leaning back into his chair. Hibari could be anywhere from reluctant at times and completely uncooperative at worst. But thankfully, this time, Hibari seemed to sense the urgency in Tsuna's request.

"If you insist." With that, Tsuna was left listening to the dull sound of the dial tone on his phone.

- x -

The plan was conveyed to the cloud guardian quickly and efficiently. Irie Shoichi did his part, and Tsuna clarified the best he could. Throughout the entire duration, Hibari did not say a single word. Tsuna couldn't tell if he was keeping quiet out of politeness, or if he was doing it because of some other reason. Hibari had always been a hard person to read, possibly even harder than his _other_ Mist Guardian. It wasn't that Tsuna didn't know Hibari well- out of the other guardians and maybe even Reborn, Tsuna knew Hibari only too well. But as of late, he found it difficult if not impossible to guess at his guardian's thoughts.

"So that's the plan... to topple the Millefiore and Byakuran, Hibari-san," Tsuna concluded, crossing his arms. "If we could have your cooperation, then this would be settled..."

The silence drowned like like a menacing beast awaiting to pounce on its prey. Irie Shoichi was standing next to the window, looking anxiously over at Tsuna. He didn't dare lay eyes on Hibari- the man had an air about him that made him think twice about even staring over in that direction- but he did hope that Tsuna would get Hibari to work with this. There were others to ask, others more willing to take on this daunting task, but... Shoichi knew that there were reasons why Tsuna chose his cloud guardian for this. But whatever reasons they were... well, the reasons were unknown to him.

Hibari's voice broke the silence after a few minutes. "Why me?" The question was simple, and yet many things could have been behind that question. Tsuna sighed heavily. How would he explain it? Some reasons for his decision were simple, and others... others were much more complicated. Irie Shoichi seemed to sense Tsuna's uncomfort, and so he left the room, closing the door quietly behind himself. He was only there for the briefing, and convincing a stubborn cloud guardian to take on the task was Tsun'a job.

"Because..." Tsuna's voice trailed off for a minute. "... you are capable of doing it." That was the biggest reason Tsuna had chosen Hibari- or, at least, that was what he was telling himself.

Hibari's black eyes darted over to meet Tsuna's large caramel ones. "So are those other herbivores you have around." After ten years, Tsuna had already gotten himself used to Hibari's names for the other guardians. Yes, that was true, but... none of them were able enough for obvious reasons. Was Hibari buying time, or did he simply not want to take on this daunting task? Tsuna had to admit that it wasn't a job he wanted to take, either.

Tsuna counted off his guardians on his fingers as he started to speak. "Gokudera and Nii-san are both too hotheaded for this, and you know that well enough." They would likely panic and do something extremely stupid under pressure; he needed someone with a cool head at all times. "Yamamoto often doesn't take things seriously, and Lambo-" Tsuna paused a bit before speaking again,"- is still too much of a child." Lambo had potential, yes, but it wasn't going to help in a situation like this. Tsuna didn't want Lambo to be burdened by such a task at a young age. Perhaps... perhaps he was just trying to make up for his own teenage years, as well. "Chrome's body is too weak for this, and... " Tsuna bit his bottom lip, wondering if he should mention his other Mist guardian. No. That would be a bad idea. Hibari was unpredictable when the name of _that _person was mentioned.

"And?" Hibari had caught wind of the last word Tsuna had uttered, half under his breath. "Am I here on default?" Tsuna gave a sigh. Reasoning with Hibari was nearly impossible...

"You know why." Tsuna finished quietly, adverting his gaze. The two of them were at this charades game again, a game that the two of them had been going on about for ten years. Tsuna had half a mind to ask Hibari if he knew, but then fought against it. He did; why did he have to bother to check? A nostalgic memory came over Tsuna as he thought about that one time. That one day. It was such a long time ago, but at the same time, it was only so many years ago. Many flashes of long-past memories followed, and Tsuna wondered if Hibari was thinking the same thing. Was he?

"Very well." The sound of chair legs scraping across the floor caused Tsuna to look up. Hibari was halfway to the door already, with his back to Tsuna. His tone held a mixture of emotions that Tsuna had trouble deciphering. What was Hibari thinking again? At least he agreed to it... right?

"Thank you, Hibari-san..." Tsuna said absently, before realizing that he was talking to thin air.

- x -

_Roughly Ten Years Ago_

"I-I... I l-like you, Hibari-san." The words sounded choked, as if they were being forced out of the brown-haired boy standing before Hibari. The latter only stared blankly in return for a few seconds before realizing what Tsuna had just said. But he stayed silent and afraid to speak. Did this... herbivore just _confess_ to him? Tsuna was either on drugs or just plain crazy. Hibari didn't find himself attractive in any way, and his concerns were never revolving around the word "love". Still, what could this boy know about it if Hibari didn't? It was true that Hibari thought Tsuna could be adorable at times, but it was mainly because the poor 14-year-old kept tripping over himself in strange ways whenever the two of them passed by each other in the hallways. But certainly not in _that_ way. And now, he wasn't too sure how to react to this intimate display of feelings. He couldn't accept them, he couldn't. Hibari managed to think that far.

The silence stretched out in the Reception Room, a silence that ate into the two of them. There was the distant sound of a baseball game going on in the background, and the ticking of the clock. Time seemed to go by at the pace of a snail, but finally, Hibari spoke.

"It won't work."

Tsuna's eyes widened for a moment before filling up with tears. Clearly, that wasn't what he had wanted to happen. For a split second Hibari regretted his decision; but then, the risks of accepting balanced out the benefits. Besides... he'd probably end up tearing Tsuna's heart out if the two of them did start dating, so he stubbornly stuck to his decision. Someone other than himself had to be better for Tsuna. Hibari found himself too rough and crude to be taking care of someone as delicate as Tsuna; someone else out there could have that task.

"I-I see..." Tsuna said after a long time, his voice breaking. Hibari could tell that he was on the verge of tears, and he clenched his hands into fists at his side. Why couldn't he just... oh, rejection was harsh, yes, but Tsuna's way of reacting was a little... "I-I'm s-sorry..." The first of his tears flooded his eyes and then overflowed, covering his cheeks in tear tracks as he ran out of the room as quickly as he could.

At the time, Hibari thought that it would be the end of that. Unfortunately, it was just the beginning. Every meeting, every glance, every word exchanged between the two was like a delicately arranged game of chess. One false move, and the other could detect that something was wrong. Even now, Hibari had a feeling that Tsuna still harbored feelings for him. But there was no sure way to check.

So goes the game that the two share together.

- x -

Dino played around with the velvet box, frowning. He wasn't looking like a mafia boss at this particular moment (actually, he usually didn't when his men weren't around), but considering the fact that Romario was just outside the door in the hallway with his afternoon coffee, that was strange, to be sure. And then, there was the entire matter of that box. It was the type one would expect to find jewelry in, and so one would have to wonder what Dino was doing with it in the first place. He was never one to wear necklaces or other accessories, and the rings he wore were used in battle or were used to prove his signifigance as the Cavallone family boss. So then, you'd have to scratch your chin, look down at this scene from above like God, and then observe quietly.

The door to his study opened slowly, and Romario walked in with the coffee, looking concerned. "Are you going to ask again?" The question was obviously said before, though the meaning of it is currently unknown to said observing God above the two of them. Dino sat up in his chair and sighed, before looking down at that box again with a mixture of diminished hope and weariness. He'd asked before, at least three times. And on all three opportunities, Kyouya had refused. A wry smile came across Dino's face. Well, that was expected, really. Something like this would be a burden to that stubborn lover of his. Speaking of which, Dino had retreated from all three situations with at least three bruises, too. Kyouya was not a person to underestimate at this point, was he? Dino wondered if his training of Kyouya over ten years ago contriubted to this, but then shook his head immediately (as Romario gave him a strange look). No, Kyouya had always been violent, according to his little brother (who wasn't so little anymore, actually). At the same time, training him would have made his punches sting a little more, too.

"No, probably not," Dino said quietly, as he took the mug from Romario gratefully, "I was just..." Daydreaming? Yeah, that was probably it.

"Getting used to rejection, I see," Romario said, chuckling.

- x -

Hibari absently fingered the ring he wore on his hand, his thoughts distant. The ring was not one that he wore for comfort or enjoyment; it was one for battle, and could hardly be described as an assessory. On closer inspection, one can observe the fact that the ring can hold up to Class A purity flames, and that there are numerous, but tiny, little cracks on the surface. Clearly, Hibari used the ring often, and he either didn't take care of the ring well or didn't hold back in combat. In this particular case, the reason for those cracks was due to the latter. This was the only ring that wouldn't shatter immediately after his flames touched it, but that didn't mean it wouldn't shatter one day in the near future. Though he was careful with it, Hibari couldn't stop his own flames from destorying the ring. He could get another one easily, but he'd rather not bother with it, since that meant asking the person who gave him it for another. It wasn't like Dino was going to mind, of course, but Hibari didn't want to break the ring, one way or another. As stoic and cold as he was, Hibari wasn't heartless, and he knew how hard it was to get the Class A rings nowadays, even for someone like Dino. It was a pity that he kept going through the rings like a kid went through candy at Halloween... And anyhow, the ring had been a gift from Dino. Breaking it would mean a lot to Hibari.

As he sat there, thinking about his latest assignment from Tsuna, his phone rang, as if on cue. Picking it up, Hibari frowned slightly at the caller ID. He hadn't been expecting this. After a few seconds, he flipped the phone open and waited for the person on the other end to speak.

"Hibari-san?"

Once again, it was Tsuna. Hibari had half a mind to ask why he was calling, but then refrained from doing so. Tsuna wouldn't call him unless he had something important to talk about or ask of him. Today, Tsuna's voice sounded more like his past one- more unstable, more insecure. Actually, Tsuna's voice had been a bit shaky since Reborn's death, but Hibari hadn't heard Tsuna sound this much like his pathetic fourteen-year-old self in a long time. It was nostalgic, this voice... but at the same time, it did give Hibari a reason to be a little concerned. Why was Tsuna sounding like this, anyways? Perhaps it was bad news of some sort.

"Did something happen?" Hibari kept the concern out of his voice as much as he could. He was one of those "guardians" that the Vongola had, but that didn't mean he was going to let Tsuna know about his worries. Besides, Tsuna was twenty-four and the boss of the most powerful mafia family in Italy, having stayed there for over five years without anyone even attempting to throw him off until the Millefiore came along to crush the Vongola completely. Hibari had no reason to worry.

There was a silence at the other line for a few moments. "You _are_ going to comply with the plan, correct?" By the plan, Hibari assumed that Tsuna was talking about the plan he had been briefed on by Irie Shoichi. Well, he had added a few suggestions of his own, so he woudn't exactly call it briefing. Either way, why _was_ Tsuna being so reluctant and hesitant about the whole ordeal? That was unlike him.

"I gave you my word." Hibari said simply, looking outside the open window of his hotel room. His words would have to suffice; Hibari was happy to say that he hadn't broken many promises in his life, and as of today, he hadn't broken any he had made to Tsuna. "Why do you even need to ask?" Tsuna had never contacted him to confirm things like this, and now, Hibari's suspicion was growing. It was either bad enough for Tsuna to attempt to hide it, or... the other possibility was that something was going on here.

"I'm about to die tomorrow, Hibari-san." Tsuna said, his voice trembling towards the end. Hibari wanted to roll his eyes. Did Tsuna just call him to tell him that he was afraid of death? How ridiculous... but at the same time, it was a little frightening, perhaps. Hibari, being used to the role of a predator, wouldn't know this feeling. But he could understand. He could understand enough.

"As planned. Do you really need me to tell you that you're not really going to die?" This conversation was becoming more and more useless by the minute, and Hibari just wanted it to end. At the same time... perhaps he could comfort the twenty-four-year-old, even if he could only do so much. According to the plan, Tsuna would only be absorbed into a machine that Irie Shoichi had invented- a machine that would allow Tsuna to be part of this world, but at the same time, not there. When the younger Tsuna arrived in the future, this would prevent the older Tsuna from being destroyed due to the laws of time and space, which were definitely not to be messed with. After Hibari played his role, he would have to switch places with his past self like Gokudera, Yamamoto, Ryohei, Lambo, and Chrome, too. It wasn't exactly something Hibari looked forward to, going to the past, but for Tsuna, it was even worse. He would be completely gone, actually, with only a faint portion of his mind left to wander within the confines of the machine until his past self finished the job. According to Shoichi, the machine would have the ability to distintegrate the body's molecules completely so that a person would be instantly turned into individual molecules and atoms. That way, there would be no worries about the laws of nature being disturbed. But at the same time, Shoichi had not been able to confirm whether or not the _consciousness_ of the human would be preserved as well. There was a chance that when Tsuna exited out of the machine, he would be different in some way. Perhaps that was why Tsuna was sounding so strange today.

"N-No, Hibari-san, you misunderstood." The phrase was one Tsuna used often with Hibari. However, the cloud guardian always thought that Tsuna had understood. Well, Tsuna wasn't a hard person to read, at least. "I was going to ask you... if I somehow really die..." Hibari wanted to scoff. There was a high chance of that, actually, but then if that happened, then all of them would die under Byakuran and his world domination. There were no doubts about that. But the cloud guardian still waited patiently for Tsuna to finish. "... will you remember me?" The simple question was asked, and for a few minutes, Hibari didn't speak. Remember him? Tsuna wasn't really going to die. What was he talking about? But then again, if Hibari had to live with that... He would be able to, actually. But about remembering him... well. Tsuna wasn't exactly someone that Hibari would forget that easily. At least, Hibari thought so, and his answer was short. Short, and said in a rather inaudible type of whisper.

- x -

_"Perhaps."_

- x -

"Kyouya!" As usual, said cloud guardian was greeted by Dino with a fleeting hug, from which he escaped by giving the Cavallone boss a vicious jab in the stomach with his elbow. Hibari disliked having anyone touch him suddenly like that, even if it _was _Dino. The blond haired man backed up a few steps, wincing. "Don't just hit people like that," he muttered, sighing. Hibari was as violent as ever today... but it seemed like something was on his mind, as well.

"You deserved it," Hibari said, scowling. "Make your visit quick, I don't have a lot of time today." He was glad that Dino had come over, but why at this time? There had been a report about one of the Millefiore wandering about Namimori earlier, and he wanted to go see what was going on as soon as possible. Dino bit his bottom lip anxiously before speaking.

"Kyouya, I-" There was something in Dino's tone that made Hibari clamp his hand hurridly over the other's mouth. No, no. He had heard this before, and all three times it had ended up pretty badly. He gave Dino a look that would hopefully get the idiot to shut up. He didn't want to deal with this sort of thing now... and there were more things he had to worry about, too. Clearly, the two of them had been through this before, and Dino's eyes betrayed his disappointment as he gently lifted Hibari's hands from his mouth and intertwined their fingers together.

"Quit mentioning it," Hibari muttered under his breath, though he didn't let go of Dino's hand as he settled back into the couch. "You know what my answer is to that." The two of them knew it well, of course. But still... Dino was still unsatisfied with that. It was selfish of him to even ask Hibari to agree to something like that, and yet... he still held a faint hope that perhaps he would be able to convince the aloof and free cloud guardian one day. It was maybe just a matter of time, and Dino was willing to wait.

"But..." Dino whined quietly, inching towards the other on the couch and pressing Hibari's slim fingers to his lips. Hibari, on the other hand, just gave Dino a glare, though he didn't stop the action. The two of them had been here before, and they had been beyond this as well. It was a simple matter of Hibari's pride, that was all. And that could be easily remedied. But today, even that seemed a little different.

"Trust me, you're not getting anywhere," Hibari said, sighing. Why did he have to fall for such a child-like man, anyways? This certainly wasn't the first time Hibari had thought about that, actually. Dino reminded him of an innocent-looking puppy with a vicious bite. Hibari had to admit that he was glad Dino wasn't an enemy, since the man could be rather nasty when he was angry (not that Dino had gotten angry at him, actually). The two often fell into arguments, but they were quickly amended silently, as if the two were just acting out a scene in some ridiculous play or movie before going back into their daily lives. For once, Hibari had something he wanted to talk to Dino about. In approximately two days, his job would be done, and he would then trade places with his past self. In two days, he would be separated by time and space from Dino for an unknown amount of time.

"Dino," Hibari said suddenly, surprising the other with his use of the Cavallone boss's first name. "What would you do if I had died?"

The other man looked at Hibari curiously. "That's a funny question, coming from you," he remarked, chuckling, as Hibari rested his head on Dino's chest. He had thought of that, that possibility of death, but he had never actually considered that it would happen to Hibari. Perhaps himself, but never the stoic cloud guardian. And why was Hibari suddenly asking something like this? It wasn't like Hibari to just suddenly pop out with something like that. Well, he had been a little affectionate before, but never something like this. Though... it was nice to just sit here in comfort. But why would Hibari mention something like that?

Being the impatient type, Hibari looked up and Dino with a slight frown on his face. "Don't you have an answer for me?"

In all honesty, Dino did not.

- x -

_"It's all yours..."_

- x -

_Epilogue_

"I want to see the you from ten years ago," Hibari complained in the middle of their sparring. Baffled, Dino stopped his attacks and frowned slightly. He didn't remember Hibari being this much of a brat ten years ago... right? Why in the world did he have to be so demanding? Apparently, Hibari sensed Dino's confusion, and stopped his attacks as well, putting his tonfas away and crossing his arms. Clearly, he was a little annoyed at Dino for not being able to understand what he was talking about.

"What do you mean?" Dino asked, sighing. "I'm the same person as I was ten years ago-"

"You're not." Hibari said in a matter-of-fact way, as if it was common knowledge. Now, Dino didn't think that he'd changed so much in the past ten years. Had he? Sure, he had gained more skill at overcoming his clumsiness when his men weren't around, but other than that, Dino thought that he was about the same. Was it in looks? No; Hibari had never been the type to judge by looks. He always judged by skill- something that couldn't be seen on the outside.

"And why is that?" Dino asked, tilting his head to one side.

Hibari scoffed and avoided Dino's gaze. "Don't you know? You seem too distracted to pay any attention to me, anyhow." Now, wait, distracted? Dino most certainly was not distracted! He was putting everything he could to train the Kyouya from ten years ago. Why did Hibari have to be so confusing? "You've clearly got something on your mind, and you're not putting any thought into sparring," Hibari hissed angrily. "What, am I not powerful enough? Are you mocking me?"

"No, _no,_ that's not what I mean!" Dino said, sighing. Okay, so maybe he was thinking about Kyouya- the twenty-six year old one. The one who could actually sit down for a few hours without asking him to spar every twenty minutes. The one who could be at least a little affectionate at times. It wasn't that Dino didn't like this Kyouya, it was just that... they were different. And maybe he _was _a little distracted, but...

"Then you should just keep your mind on battling instead of on- whatever it is!" Hibari growled, growing more and more impatient by the minute.

_Actually, I have to stop thinking about him, right?_

A/N : Yeah. I switched writing styles halfway through for some reason... Gah... and then Hibari's name changed from his last to his first when it was in third-person limited Dino's perspective. I'm a terrible writer. XD It took so long to do a chapter that was over 3k words long. Yes, I'm a horrible writer and I have trouble writing things that are anything over 1,000 words long. D8 It sounded so drabble-y, too! I'm not really happy with this, and there's barely any dialogue. There are a few, but the way I wrote it just makes it sound awkward. Noo... I wanted to write a D18 fanfic, but it turned out to be 1827. AGAIN. || I love D18 with all of my life, but I can't write it... XD Oh, I hate the epilogue on this, too. Oh well. .

And also... I'll be very impressed (and amused) if someone knows the doujin that I got the story idea from. No, I don't steal, but I do refer to it a lot, and there's a lot of scenes in the beginning that are similar to the scenes in the doujin. ^^

I was planning on this being a one-shot. =w=|| I I doubt I'll add any more chapters after this one.


End file.
